The ruling party has threatened to expel US Ambassador Brian Nichols as it is accusing him of interfering with local politics, All Africa reports. Patrick Chinamasa said this during a press conference in Harare this afternoon.
Chinamasa laid into Ambassador Nichols and said he should be ashamed of himself and that African Americans were not treated well in America hence he didn’t have the right to talk about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and said:
I want to warn them (foreign diplomats) that it is high time to know that Zimbabwe is a sovereign Republic and we are a full sovereign state under the Montevideo Convention. The US ambassador whom I am told is African-American, must be totally ashamed of himself.
What has the United States has to offer in terms of values and human rights observance when his own African American people are treated like rats in full view of world media and he remains an Uncle Tom used to propagate values which by themselves they do not practice on their own people
He, later on, said the ruling party but not the government since he cannot speak on behalf of the government would not hesitate to expel him if he doesn’t heed to their warning before calling him a thug and said:
He continues to engage in acts of undermining this Republic and if he does so, if he continues engaging in acts of undermining the Republic mobilizing and funding disturbances coordinating violence and training insurgency our leadership will not hesitate to give him his marching orders.
Diplomats should not behave like thugs and Brian Nichols is a thug. We remind Nichols that he is not a super Diplomat in this country. There are several Diplomats seconded to this republic from African Union countries and the world over. They have never masqueraded and pretended to be our prefects as Mr Nichols is doing. We have nothing to learn from the United States or from countries which impose sanctions
It is still not clear, when, how and where the US ambassador has interfered with local politics. However, the embassy has been from time to time pointed out human right abuses that bedevil the country and target mainly opposition party members.
It is still not clear how this attack will affect relations between Harare and Washington. Ambassador Nichols is yet to respond to the ruling party’s threats.
More: All Africa